Folding chair



June 23, 1925. I 1,543,396

W. C. RASTETTER FOLDING CHAIR Filed May /1924 ATTORNEY TER, a citizen of the Patented June '23, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

. WILLIAM c. RASTETTER, or ron'r WAYNE, INDIANA...

FOLDING 01mm.

. Application filed May 10, 1924. Serial No. 712,424.

To all whom it may concern,

Be it known that I, 'WIL-LIAM C. RAsTE'r- United States of America, and resident of Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improve: ments in Folding Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in folding chairs and the object thereof is to provide a seat in connection with a folding supporting structure that will be held rigidly in position for use and to provide also in connection with the supporting structure a yielding back-rest. A further object of the invention is to provide in a device of its class a folding supporting structure and a seat connected therewith in such manner as to obviate binding of the folding parts at their various points of connection and thus eliminate the tendency of the connected parts to stick when the folding operation is undertaken.

These objects are accomplished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a folding chair embodying the invention, the main frame of the structure being in central section;

F Fig. 2 is a front elevation projected from ig. 1; Fig. 3'isa fragmentary plan view showing one of the eyebolt connections thereon for the folding legs; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of theflexible back.

The characters appearing inthe description refer to parts shown in the drawings and designated thereon by corresponding characters. I I

v The invention comprises a main frame preferably formed of a strip of wood 1 bent in its middle to form a bow 2 with contiguous parallel legs 3, there being a cross-piece 4 connecting the legs and a bent bracket connecting said legs and cross-piece. Supported in the legs 3 is a horizontal rod 6- -upon ,whichisv pivotally mounted a seat '7, and also in the frame is pivotally secured a U-shaped prop formed of a rod '8 shaped so as to have upwardly extending side-arms 9, the upper ends of which are respectively pivoted to the corresponding sides of the main 'frame as indicated by 10.

The back end of the seat 7 has at each side thereof an eyebolt 11 through which the corresponding side-arm 9 of the prop extends, the eyebolts being slidable 0n the arms, and limited in their upward movement by corresponding stops 12 fixed on the side arms respectively. The shank 13 of each eyebolt extends through a corresponding projection 14 on the seat and is sufliciently loose as to admit of its turning axially therein.

In the upper part of the main frame is fixed a horizontal rod 15 that supports the upper end of a flexible back 16 preferably,

made of leather or fabric, and along the lower edge of the flexible back is made a pocket 17 through which extends a close coil spring 18 that is secured at its ends respectively to the corresponding side arms 9 and yieldingly sustains the back 16 in connection with the prop.

In u ilizin'g the invention the seat is turned-upon the rod 6 in the main frame to horizontal position with the heads of the eyebolts ,11 hearing upwardly against the stops 12, and the prop being held by the eyebolts in a plane at an angle to the main frame so as to sustain the frame in position ftr use. The chair is folded for the purpose of storage by merely raisingthe front end of the seat whlch causes the seat to turn upon its pivotal support, while the prop and the flexible back are automatically drawn into folded position at the back of the main frame.

What I claim is:

In a folding chair, a main frame formed of a wooden strip bent in its middle to form a loop with contiguous parallel straightlegs, there being. a brace connecting the legs in spaced relationship with each other; a seat pivotally supported between the legs; a U- shaped'prop pivoted at the ends of its respective arms in the frame at a point therein a ove the pivotal support of the seat;, a stop fixed on each arm of the prop; an eye- \bolt at each side of the seat at the back thereof through the head 'of which said side arms loosely extend respectively, said eyeboltshaving sliding movement on said arms limited in their upward movement by the corresponding stops jand a flexible bacIrse In testimony whereof I afiix my signacured at its upper end in the mainframe, ture in presence of two witnesses. and havlng a pocket along its lower end and WILLIAM C. RASTETTER a close coil spring secured at its respective 5 ends to the corresponding arms of the prop Witnesses:

and extending through the pocket in the MATILDA ME'I'ILER, back. WALTER G. BURNS. 

